Made in Pakistan: A Q&A with Documentary Filmmaker Nasir Khan

Made in Pakistan is a 60-minute documentary that follows the lives of four young, middle-class Pakistanis during Musharraf’s state of emergency in 2007 – Waleed Khalid, a lawyer, Rabia Aamir, a journalist and a working mother, Mohsin Waraich, an aspiring politician, and Tara Mehmood, an event & PR manager. The film is an attempt to break the oft-negative depictions of Pakistan in the news media by re-examining the country through the eyes of these four citizens. Made in Pakistan premieres in Karachi next week on July 31, followed by screenings in Islamabad, and Lahore [click on the city to get more information on the showings], making the film the first documentary to be nationally released in Pakistan. Below, CHUP talks to the film’s director, Nasir Khan:

Q: What inspired you to make the film, Made in Pakistan?

Whenever I saw any coverage of Pakistan on foreign news channels, it felt like an extremely myopic and stereotypical representation of our people. The Pakistan they repeatedly covered was only showing a part of the story. Pakistan and Pakistanis were often labeled as dangerous pariahs who should be secluded from the world stage as we know it. As Pakistani filmmakers, we felt that their conclusions were amateur and racist. We felt we could easily negate them even if we showed a glimpse of Pakistan through the eyes of Pakistanis. Thus began the journey for making Made in Pakistan.

Q: The documentary follows the lives of four Pakistanis who are meant to show the multifaceted nature of the country. How did you go about “casting”/finding these people for the film? What surprised you the most when following their lives?

We were extremely lucky that we were able to find people from such diverse backgrounds who had very distinct personalities. Most of them were friends of friends and the great thing was that all of them agreed to be part of the production without hesitation. There were many surprising elements during filming: following Mohsin’s [the aspiring politician] campaign and seeing how aware and resolute the voters are even though they are coming out of low-income populations. The fallacy that people don’t know their rights and just vote blindly was absolutely dispelled. Then following the lawyers’ movement and seeing the passionate atmosphere – people are hit yet the spirit didn’t waver. But the most reassuring aspect was visiting schools and colleges and seeing the high level of patriotism these young kids have for Pakistan.

Q: The film will be screened in Pakistan’s three main cities – Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Are there plans to release the film elsewhere in Pakistan and internationally? What do you hope Pakistanis who watch Made in Pakistan take away from the film? Do you think international viewers may take away something different?

Plans are on for a worldwide release – we have been getting a lot of interest from audiences and InshAllah we will be hitting the major cities soon. I think it feels good to see a Pakistani story, it feels good to see a representation of yourself so I think that hint of pride that one gets while seeing something homegrown is what Pakistani audiences should take in at a very basic level. As for the response we have gotten from focus groups done abroad, the response has been incredible. On one hand, audiences are surprised that people in Pakistan can speak such good English and on the other, they are connecting the most to the bearded Muslim (Waleed the lawyer), whom they are supposed to hate based on popular perceptions.

Q: The documentary was filmed during Pakistan’s state of emergency under Musharraf in 2007. However, so much has happened in the past two years – from democratic elections to an increasingly tumultuous security situation to a burgeoning economic crisis. What do you feel is constant and universal in your film that makes it relevant not just today, but in the future?

I think it reflects the spirit of the people and that is something that remains resolute and relevant. What we have tried to show is that Pakistani people are aware of the situation they find themselves in; they are able to make decisions for their future and that this future brings with it a promise of hope. The message of the documentary is loud and clear “Pakistan Zindabad” [Long live Pakistan].

Q: Your film company – Talking Filmain – run by you, Adil Sher and Rizwan Saeed – has a very diverse portfolio of projects under its belt. Do you hope to tackle other politically and socially conscious projects in the future?

InshAllah we do hope to work on more inspiring stories and subjects but first we need to get Made in Pakistan out of our system as this is the first documentary to garner a national release in the history of Pakistan. The encouragement we are receiving will guide us to continue of this journey of telling Pakistani stories.

I hope the makers are able to reach international markets. I really hope that foreigners watch this (more so than local Pakistanis) so we can atleast attempt to shed some of the stereotypes. The trailer is fascinating…keep us posted on international release dates.

oh , this is the start of a movement , the young talented people of Pakistan will bring the change , they know it, they can do it , they will , bring the change
best wishes to the entire team
Tahir Yazdani Malik

I had a chance to see the film in March.
I thought it was well shot, but had some issues with it.
Nonetheless, I hope Pakistani filmmakers, artists and the public continue to work to spread the image of a diverse, human and constructive Pakistan.

Great piece – I think several people raised the same issue you mentioned in your piece – about the documentary only show a very narrow view of middle-class Pakistanis who are all based in Lahore. From my understanding, I think the film doesn’t attempt to say that all Pakistanis are like the Pakistanis in this film, rather that not all Pakistanis are like the ones depicted in the media by showing another slice of the very multifaceted pie.

Hey thanks, Kalsoom.
True. It’s another “slice.”
I hope people go see it and I hope the movie generates lots of discussion about who we are, what we can do to shape our image and, even, the evolution of Pakistani filmmaking.
Btw, good interview. Short yet packed with tons of ideas/insights.

Thank you for this interview, Kalsoom. I’ve been seeing the invite to the showing of this documentary floating around Facebook and was very intrigues. It’s nice to be able to read an interview with the filmmaker himself.

When Nasir Khan mentions aspects of the film such as “the fallacy that people don’t know their rights and just vote blindly,” it hits close to home, because I’m one of the people who has such misconceptions about their own country.

I’m very interested in seeing this documentary, I do hope it comes to the U.S. soon. Please let me know when it does!

Thanks LM. I believe they’re going to try and do a screening in the DC area, and actually a friend of mine in the think tank arena just emailed to ask whether they could host a screening, so maybe it’ll be sooner rather than later!

[…] It will be viewed by audiences in Karachi tomorrow and then makes its way to Islamabad and Lahore. Pakistanis struggle everyday with the stereotypes that come with belonging to the “world’s most dangerous country”. The documentary makers, Nasir Khan (director), Adil Sher and Rizwan Saeed (producers) thus sought to show a “glimpse of Pakistan through the eyes of Pakistanis” (click here for an interview with t… […]

I am proud of all Paksitanis who have the courage to stand up in front of the whole world and show the right image of Pakistan.
I would like to request the Producer and Director of the film to bring this movie to Dubai too. I really want to see this movie and Kashf – the lifting of the veil too but i am not able to find it here in Dubai video centres. Pls. arrange to bring it here both the films
Looooooooooooong Live Pakistan (InshaAllah)

Throughs the short clips of this documentary, I being a Pakistani who was born, raised and educated in Karachi, I simply can not relate to any of the four Pakistanis shown in this documentary. It seems quite superficial and this is probably the last things the Pakistani youth need – lies and deception.

I just saw this film at a film festival in New York City and stayed afterwards for Q&A with the producer Ayesha Khan. When asked why the documentary did not include people from additional segments of the Pakistani population, she became defensive and replied that it had been very difficult to convince anyone to allow themselves to be followed around and filmed over a span of five months. Her answer is directly contradicted by the Q&A here with the director of the film:

“We were extremely lucky that we were able to find people from such diverse backgrounds who had very distinct personalities. Most of them were friends of friends and the great thing was that all of them agreed to be part of the production without hesitation.”

Ayesha says it was hard to get participants. Nasir says it was easy. Who is telling the truth here? It is impossible for both to be telling the truth.

I had high hopes for this film but ended up being disappointed. I thought the point was to rebut the perception in the Western media that Pakistan is the most dangerous place on earth. If that was the goal, I do not think the filmmakers succeeded in any way. There was plenty of violence shown throughout the film (sadly). Was the point that there are people in Pakistan who are “like us”? It was in no way a surprise to me that there are people in Pakistan like the four featured in this film. I have met them in the U.S. I have met them in Pakistan. I have met them elsewhere. So?

hi kalsoom, i wanted to show my husb the Made in Pakistan trailer, and when i googled it, your site popped up- congrats! this interview is really cool, congrats on that, too. my husband hadnt seen your blog before- he really likes it and will be perusing it often. best wishes, s.

After seeing the trailer I was greatly disappointed at yet another amateurish out-of-touch shallow result from a Pakistan film-maker. Pakistan is soooo much more than what the documentary attempts to convey. Unfortunately, it seems that this cross-section of Pakistani youth may have the get-up and vocabulary of their Western counter-parts but in their attempt to ape the West, have actually no inclination or understanding of what the international arena demands. We have yet to wait the arrival of a less crudely-put message, instead we require sensitivity, honesty, empathy and a deeper understanding of all the cross-sections of Pakistan society from rural to urban, no matter how out of synch they may be with each other.